Attributes of Papilio troilus

Spicebush SwallowtailPapilio troilus Linnaeus, 1758

Identification: Upper surface of forewing is mostly black with ivory spots along margin. Upper surface of hindwing has orange spot on costal margin and sheen of bluish (female) or bluish-green (male) scales. Underside of hindwing with pale green marginal spots.

Wing Span: 3 - 4 inches (7.5 - 10 cm).

Life History: Males patrol in woods, roads and woodland edges to find receptive females. Females lay single eggs on underside of host plant leaves. Caterpillars live in shelters of folded-over leaves and come out to feed at night. Some chrysalids from each generation hibernate.

Flight: 2 generations per year from April-October. In Florida, several generations between March-December.

Images of Papilio troilus

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The map below displays all BAMONA data for this species and has three different data layers:1. All records (yellow dots) 2. Recently verified records (orange dots)* 3. US county records (purple)

There are also three base layers: 1. Satellite 2. Normal 3. Hybrid

How to use the map:Click on the map and move your mouse to pan.Zoom by using the plus [+] and minus [-] on the left side of the map.To change which map layers are displayed, click on the plus sign [+] on the right side of the map and turn on/off the data layers and base layers.

*The orange dots on the map provide access to information about the 400 most recently verified sightings of this species. Sometimes, there are several records at the same location. Use the table view to access these records.

By default, the fifty most recently verified sightings are below. Sort by Observation Date to see the most recent sightings, or filter the sightings by region to get a regional list.

To report technical difficulties or errors, Contact Us.This project is based upon work previously supported by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)National Biological Information Infrastructure (NBII) Program and the USGS Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center.Primary financial support for this project comes from our advertisers.